Star Crossed
by Gruaigrua
Summary: What happens when the Doctor stops listening to reason and starts listening to Mickey.
1. Now you know how it feels

"You alright?" Rose asked as the Doctor set the TARDIS controls to close the time windows on the other ship.

"I'm always alright." He replied with an half smile and an air of nonchalance that fooled nobody… Probably not even himself.

Mickey could see that The Doctor was hurting… God, he could practically feel the hurt radiate from him if he stood too close. Part of Mickey wanted to point and laugh and say "Now you know how it feels, pal!" But _because_ Mickey knew exactly how it felt, he said nothing. Just left the Doctor to his radiating hurt. "Come on Rose, time to show me round the rest of this place." Mickey took her hand and led her out of the room.

It was an odd thing to see this Doctor so quiet, so introverted, so still. Normally he was like a 5 year old on a Sunny Delight trip. The last guy, now he could brood for England, but this one? It didn't sit right with him and no matter how many "Fines" Rose got from him after asking how he was, it was glaringly obvious that he wasn't. The Doctor wouldn't talk to Rose about it. Maybe he needed to talk "man to man".

Mickey checked his watch. It was 2 in the morning "Earth time" _Telling time in a time machine. How pointless was that? _The Doctor was tinkering around underneath the console in the main room, deftly avoiding conversation for the last couple of days… but not for much longer.

Mickey squatted down beside the Doctor. "She got inside your head."

The Doctor shot up with a panicked "What?" narrowly avoiding concussing himself on the overhead panel _How did Mickey know that? How did he find out? _

"Madame du Pompadour, Reinette. She got inside your head and now you can't stop thinking about her."

"Oh, you mean figuratively, not literally." The Doctor pursed his lips and then returned to his prone position under the console, determined to ignore Mickey.

Mickey was equally determined not to be ignored and sat on the floor beside the Doctor. "Look, you can't keep this all bottled up. You've hardly said a word since you came back. The last time you were this quiet for this long, you were unconscious in Jackie's flat!"

"So, what do you want to do?" The Doctor had that tone he'd used on Mickey before when the rats fell on him. "Crack open a bottle of white wine and let me cry on your shoulder?"

_Condescending git! _Mickey thought. "If it'll get you out of this flippin' mood, Bridget Jones! And I didn't pack any white wine with me. I do have a six pack of beer, though"

"I am not in a mood." The Doctor finally sat up, but moved no further.

"Course you're not." It was Mickey's turn to jeer. "You're not talking cos you're saving that pretty singing voice of yours to audition for _Mamma Mia_ when we get back to London."

Silence.

"Are you like this after every trip?" Mickey asked, handing the Doctor a can of some nasty looking shop brand lager. "Do you, like, fall for every woman who shows a bit of interest in you and ask her to come along? Cos if you're going start moonin' over every blonde who turns you down, then you can leave me back home."

"I don't fall for every blonde" the Doctor muttered, knowing well it was a dig at him about Rose. _Good old Thicky, Ricky, Mickey Smith. You think I stole your girl and now your having a good old gloat. _

"You fell for Reinette, though."

More silence.

"So now you know what it's like." Mickey said quietly. "To see the woman you love walk away from you."

"She didn't walk away."

"You went back and told her to pack a bag and pick a star and come join our merry little band of travellers. A few minutes later, you were back here alone." Mickey poked the Doctor in the leg as if to emphasise the point. "Let me guess, she didn't fancy the idea of giving up her fancy dresses and jewellery, or her royal boyfriend for you? Oh man, did you get knocked back."

The Doctor stood up. "Oh shut up, Mickey! As usual, you don't have a clue!"

"So come on Doctor, put me firmly in my stupid, little place and tell me what happened!" Mickey retorted, rising to his feet.

"She's _dead_, okay?" The Doctor yelled, his voice reverberating around the chamber. "By the time I went back through the fireplace, 5 years had passed and she had died." The Doctor's shoulders dropped and he went quiet. "She waited for me and I let her down."

Mickey had never seen a sorrier sight in his life. The Doctor looked so horribly lost. 900 years lived, surely he had experienced love and loss before. Or maybe there was some sort of reset button when he regenerated and while he remembered things happening, maybe he didn't remember how it felt… Kind of like a selective amnesia, or something.

For the first time in the conversation, the Doctor looked at Mickey. There was no gloating, no "told you so" smugness in the young man's eyes. And in that moment the Doctor saw Mickey in a whole new light. _Mickey the Idiot, Mickey the 10 year old girl with pigtails and a frilly skirt _was now _Mickey the Bigger Man._ All due respect to him, the Doctor didn't know if he would have been as understanding or as adult about it if the tables were turned.

"It's like you said." The Doctor had that sad smile on his face like before. "She got in my head... She literally got in there and had a good old rummage around." He took a long swig from his beer - It was nowhere near as bad as the Doctor thought it would be - and slumped back down to the floor. "In the space of a few seconds, she found out more about me than some people knew in a lifetime. I opened a door in her mind to try and find out why the clockwork droids wanted her and she quietly slipped into mine."

"What? Was she an alien, or something?" Mickey joined him on the floor, plonking the remaining 4 pack between them.

"No. Just a very intelligent, very curious woman."

"Do you know what would be really cool, yeah? If you had, like, a time machine, or something and you could go back and… Oh wait!" It was now Mickey's turn to yell. "You do! You can! I though I was supposed to be the stupid one."

"It's not that simple…" The Doctor started to explain.

"Yes it is!" Mickey wouldn't let the Doctor talk himself out of this one. "You dump me and Rose outside Tescos to stock up on supplies." He raised his beer can. "You go back to Versailles and do whatever it is you want or need to do… Hey presto, you're back like nothing happened."

"Mickey, I just can't…"

"No. Stop with the excuses, Doctor!" Mickey cut him off again. "You're in love with Reinette. My God, it's so obvious. You do nothing and it will eat you up – Trust me, I've been there, done that… But I had the talk and got the hell over it. You need to see her again… put things right.

"You don't understand." The Doctor sighed, exasperated at having to explain temporal physics yet _again_. "She's dead."

"Yesterday, I was in the year 5000. That meant everyone I ever knew was dead. Today, I'm back in the present and they're alive." Mickey said. "A quick flick of a switch and you could be back in 1750_whenever_ when she'll be alive."

"I can't go messing around in the timeline like that. It just makes things worse."

"You've already been messing around, you ninny!" Mickey got a small sense of satisfaction being able to insult the Doctor. "Talking to a girl in her fireplace, jumping a horse through a mirror into a ballroom full of French aristocrats,_ banana daiquiris _… How much of a difference will one more visit make?"

And there it was. The light back in the Doctor's eye. "So… can I get you anything from Tesco's?"


	2. Pick a star, any star

Reinette sat in her boudoir, reading. The King had invited her to join him in a walk around the grounds of the sumptuous castle she called home, but she politely declined. It was unpleasantly warm outside and there were plenty of other courtiers who could make small talk in her place. She preferred the cooler surrounds of her room. Letting the book fall to her lap, Reinette stared at the empty fireplace. It had been months since the Doctor had promised to show her the stars, yet every day she hoped he would. Reason told her he wouldn't be back… what was that he said about not listening to reason?

"Bonjour, Madame."

The voice came from behind her. No. It couldn't be. She had drifted off to sleep and was dreaming… had to be.

"I've come to check the fireplace."

She stood up and turned around. There he was, not a minute older, smiling broadly. Before he could say another word, she ran to him and kissed him. Unlike the last time they kissed, he was prepared for her. No hesitation, no shock or surprise, just his lips on hers. His warm hands caressing her face, running into her hair, tracing down her neck. It was all too much. Reinette broke off the kiss to catch her breath. It was ridiculous! A woman of her age swooning like a teenager. The Doctor held her close to him, saving her from slumping gracelessly to the floor.

"Are you alright?" He asked, ushering her to the side of the bed. She gladly sat down. He hunkered down in front of her.

"Oh my!" She laughed. "This was most unexpected. The heat, the shock…"

"The corset!" he grinned raising an eyebrow.

"Still the impertinence." She smiled back. Reaching out, she cupped his cheek with her hand. "My angel, you returned to me."

"I'm sorry it took so long." He whispered. The Doctor sat beside her on the bed wanting so badly to just throw her down and… just _do things_ to her. The danger of being caught was a real thrill, and also a real threat to them both. Doing that kind of thing in this day and age could get a man killed! No, he would restrain himself (_ Well, not literally restrain, unless… Oooh, I do have a tie on… that could be fun… No no… No! Stop it! Get your mind out of the gutter_ !). He would contain himself until they got to the TARDIS where they could be alone and do what they damn well pleased to each other in any little quarter of the universe she wished to go.

The Doctor pulled Reinette to her feet. "Did you pack a bag?" He didn't give her a chance to answer. "No, on second thoughts, you won't need a bag. I'll have everything you need on board the TARDIS."

"You're taking me with you?" She could hardly believe this was happening. "You're really going to show me the stars?" He said nothing more, simply moved in to kiss her again. She took that as a Yes.

Moments later, she stood outside a blue box that was smaller than her wardrobe. Her dress was wider than the entrance. How on Earth were 2 people going to fit in there? The Doctor caught her anxious look. He gently squeezed her hand. "Trust me." Was all he said.

Of course she trusted him. She had known him most of her life and since she had stopped entertaining the King in her bed, she had thought of nobody but The Doctor to replace him in her affections. She hesitated crossing the threshold. It took a little bit of manoeuvring, but Reinette managed to enter the Doctor's TARDIS as elegantly as if she were attending a function. Her regal demeanour dropped, though, when she saw the interior. Ceilings as high as any of the rooms in Versailles. Lights twinkling brighter than the chandeliers in the Hall of Mirrors. The room hummed like an orchestra tuning up. All so foreign, so unfamiliar, so alien. She turned to the Doctor for reassurance. He had a huge beaming smile… had she ever seen a person look so happy before? Some of her fears were assuaged by the joy on his face. "I wonder, Doctor, were I to open a door into your mind now, what would I see? Or do I just need to look in your eyes?"

He took her hand and clasped it to his chest. "So, where do you want to go? Pick a time, pick a place, pick a planet!"

"I… I don't know."

The Doctor could see Reinette had the entire universe at her fingertips and it overwhelmed her. "Alright. Why don't I choose for you… I'll take you somewhere the stars are so dense that you'll think you can just reach out and touch them and then when the suns rise…"

"Suns?"

"Yes. There will be two suns where we're going and come the dawn you will see more colour than you thought could exist in one sky." He began turning dials and pressing buttons. "It will take a while to get there."

She gave him a coquettish look The Doctor was sure she had used on other men, but he didn't care. Neither of them was an inexperienced virgin. It would be churlish of him to start feeling jealous of the King or Reinette's ex husband now. He had taken her away from all that. She had chosen to be with him and they were going to have the most wonderful time together. "I'm sure we could find something to pass the time…"

"Now who's being _impertinent_ ?"

They lay together, side by side, facing each other. She was sound asleep, he was pleasantly drowsy. He didn't sleep that much. Didn't need to, but understood that humans did and so he let her sleep on, allowing things to happen at her pace. They had all the time in the world… the universe even! He just watched her sleep, her face expressionless… _Oh to see her dreams_. The Doctor came close to touching her face and going into her mind again… and to let her go into his, but decided against it at the last moment and gently stroked her hair. Not as blonde as it was when she had first kissed him – nearly 15 years ago for her, mere hours for him. Strands of grey mingled unobtrusively in her golden tresses. No quick trips to the hairdressers for a touch up in the 1800's. It didn't matter to him. He had fallen for her because she understood him. Reinette didn't judge what he was, trusted him completely… and God, she was beautiful! He couldn't remember a time when he felt so content, so at ease with himself… So at ease, that The Doctor drifted off to sleep.

He was awoken by the gentle caress of a hand on his face. Reinette's warm, soft fingers delicately tracing the freckles on his cheek. "Hello." He grinned.

"Hello." She smiled back at him and then leant in to kiss him.

"I don't ever want to get used to that." He sighed wrapping his arms around her and holding her close.

"What?" She nuzzled gently into his neck.

"Kissing you, holding you, tasting you." He gave her a quick peck on the forehead. "Loving you in every sense of the word… I wish we could just stay here like this all the time… but then we wouldn't see the stars."

"Oh I saw stars, alright!" Reinette laughed.

The Doctor found himself laughing back. "You cheeky little minx! Come on. I want to show you the night sky of Kuraniss Hai." He kissed her once more and got out of bed. Despite the fact that they had spent the last few hours exploring each other's bodies, Reinette demurely wrapped the white bedsheet around her and went to pick up the clothing scattered around the room. The Doctor had put on his trousers and was buttoning up a clean blue shirt. "Oh, I thought you might like a change of clothing. I have a large wardrobe where you could pick out something new."

"Is there something wrong with my dress?" Reinette looked concerned and slightly offended.

"No! No no. No. Nothing wrong." _New Rule Number One. Never, ever comment unfavourably on a woman's wardrobe… Ever!_ "Like the wearer, it is a truly beautiful creation… _Oooh, nice save!_ As are the petticoats, the underskirt, the knickerbockers, the corset, and all the other little bits and pieces that we spent nearly 20 minutes trying to free you from… I just thought, now that I've taken you away from all that, you might like to try something a little less heavy, and restricting and complicated."

"Do you have something in mind?"

"Well, right at this moment, I think the bedsheet looks spectacular on you, so I'm possibly not the best arbiter as to what you should be wearing." He took her hand once more and led her from the bedroom down the hallway to another room. He noticed her fearful expression had returned. It had to be a huge culture shock for Reinette. Coming from a world with no electricity and very little mechanisation to the TARDIS where everything blinked, hummmed, clicked and whirred around her. She felt so at ease in his bedroom… just the two wrapped in each other's arms bathed in a low lit afterglow. And now, here she was in a huge room with clothes from every era in history.

The first piece of clothing Reinette looked at was a very fetching black and white Mary Quant mini dress. "Is this an undergarment?"

"No. It's a dress."

She quickly put it back on the rail. "It's indecent! Does everyone dress so… so… inappropriately in your world?" Reinette was appalled. "Is there no modesty?"

The Doctor knew there was no point in arguing the finer points of fashion and feminism… And who knew a Courtesan - a King's _mistress_ , no less - could be such a prude? He rummaged through the rail and found a skirt and blouse that wouldn't have looked out of place at Woodstock in 1969. Rose would have called it _Boho Chic_. Reinette gladly accepted them.

"And… umm…" She blushed. "Do they have foundation garments in your world too?"

"Foundation? Oh! Underwear!" The Doctor said, feeling a little uncomfortable himself. He really hadn't thought this part through. "They're kept in a separate section… Wait right there." He bolted from the room and raced down to Rose's. "Oh Rose, you're going to kill me!" he sighed as he searched through the drawers of a small dresser she had. "Bingo!" He found an unopened pack of Mark and Spencer's white knickers. Another drawer yielded a very fitted white vest. They'd have to do until Reinette felt more comfortable with everything. He really didn't fancy explaining the concept of the _Wonderbra_ to her!

After dressing, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was pleased with how she looked… and The Doctor was right. The lack of a corset was quite liberating. It would be like wearing a nightdress all day without being confined to bed… _Quelle scandal! _Running her fingers through her shoulder length hair, Reinette realised she now had no maid to dress her hair in the elaborate styles she loved. But she was nothing if not resourceful! Taking a small ribbon from her knickerbockers she tied her hair back into a ponytail. Simple and elegant.

"You look lovely." The Doctor smiled. He was fully dressed in his suit and heavy overcoat and carried a picnic basket. "Before we go, you should put on a coat. It's quite cold before sunrise." He picked out a long Russian military style overcoat. It was slightly too big for her, but she didn't seem to mind. He held his elbow out to escort her. "And now, Madame de Pompadour, I present to you the night sky of Kuraniss Hai…"


	3. The Lady's Choice

_You're still reading? Excellent! That makes me very happy indeed._

o0o

The Doctor and Reinette stepped out onto a remote hillside, far away from civilisation. She was transfixed. Reinette had gazed at constellations in the night sky in Versailles, but while they looked like flecks on a black robe, the stars here looked like someone had scattered diamonds on a black velvet cloth. "There are no words… Truly, this is magnificent."

"Lie down." He tugged her hand as he sat on the ground, urging him to join her. She needed no further encouragement. She lay back beside him, still holding his hand for fear that if she let go she'd just float off into the ether. And as she gazed at the stars, all he could think was that not one of them compared with the joy in her eyes. She outshone them all.

Dawn broke about half an hour later. That was easier to watch sitting up properly! They both marvelled as the black velvet sky slowly transformed with green, mauve, orange and red ribboned through the horizon. They ate strawberries and drank champagne for breakfast as the twin suns rose in the sky. The temperature rose with their appearance and both the Doctor and Reinette removed their overcoats. The Doctor rested his chin on her shoulder. "We'll have to go inside soon."

"Must we?" Reinette frowned.

"The temperature gets too hot to bear. It's already warmer than Versailles was yesterday… Of course, because you're not under 15 layers of bejewelled fabric, you probably didn't notice." They drained the last of their champagne and returned to the TARDIS

"Is this how you live your life?" She asked, peering inquisitively at one of the screens. "Are you making up for the sadness of your past by seeking out happiness now? Visiting the most wondrous places and experiencing the beauty in life "

"I never saw it like that." The Doctor shrugged. "Maybe."

"Where are we going next?"

"Ladies choice."

"Paris."

"We've just come from Paris."

"I want to see Paris 250 years from now." She exclaimed.

"Remind me, what year is it now?"

She smiled. "You once asked me that a long, long time ago."

"Naah. Seems like yesterday." _Time flies when you're having fun, eh?_

"It's 1758." Reinette laughed at him.

"So you're sure. Paris in the year two thousand and eight?" He looked concerned and she picked up on it.

"Why? What's wrong? Does Paris exist in the future?"

"Oh yes, very much so… It's just that… Well it's a little different now."

"Considering what I've just seen, clockwork men and women not withstanding, I think I can handle _different_ !" She was becoming more confident with her surroundings. The uncertainty was fading and that pleased the Doctor no end.

The TARDIS landed in a store room in the Louvre Museum. "It's no longer an exclusive palace." The Doctor explained. "It's now a museum where people come from all over the world to admire the works of art… They even have a portrait of you here!" He peered out the store room door, making sure the coast was clear.

They spent several hours wandering from gallery to gallery, lost among the throngs looking like any other tourists. The Doctor had a great time explaining the history behind a lot of the artworks and sculptures, sometimes adding a personal anecdote because he was there at the time. They stood in front of Jaques-Louis David's painting of the Coronation of Emperor Napoleon. "You're not the only person here hanging in the gallery. See, up there in the second row of the balcony? Second in from the left? That's me!"

"Now you're just boasting!" Reinette smiled. "Oh, I've seen so much in here, but when do we get to go outside? When do I get to see my Paris?"

"Alright!" The Doctor laughed. "But stay with me. I don't want you distracted by the Eiffel Tower and wandering off and getting lost." He held her hand as they approached the exit. The Doctor decided to use one of the less busy ones that led out towards the Rue de Rivoli. He could use his psychic paper to get back in again, or if they left it until after the gallery closed, he could break in with the sonic screwdriver… It's not like he hasn't done it before, or anything!

The first thing Reinette was aware of as they left the Louvre was the noise. An unfamiliar din almost like a swarm of bees. And the Doctor was leading her towards it. He noticed her grip tightening on his hand, about one squeeze short of uncomfortable. "There is a little cafe just up the road from here on the Rue de Rivoli." He explained. "When we come out from under the arch, just up ahead, you're going to see lots of things called cars. They're horseless carriages, for want of a better phrase. They're noisy and they spew smoke and they go at considerable speeds, but don't be afraid. They travel up and down the roads and unless you step out in front of one, they can't hurt you." She just nodded and the grip became the wrong side of uncomfortable. "We'll have to cross through the cars, but they will stop for us at the coloured lights."

Reinette looked around her. A lot of the buildings seemed familiar. The Louvre Palace she had visited before, she knew she was near to the Tuileries Gardens… But the arches along this Rue de Rivoli, they were unfamiliar. And the noise and the lights and the cars… this was not her Paris. This was an abomination. How could the centre of the art world have become so degenerate? The way the people dressed, the informal language they used when greeting their betters? The shopkeepers hawking their gaudy baubles on the streets. And so many people walking through. She took a deep breath and steadied herself.

A gaggle of tourists were shouting back and forth to each other about tee shirts, snow globes and fridge magnets among the dense crowd. Reinette knew they were speaking French (because the TARDIS was translating for her), but didn't understand a word of it. One of them carelessly sent a postcard stand flying, separating Reinette from the Doctor. In the ensuing chaos of people trying to avoid getting assaulted by the metal stand, others picking up the scattered post cards and an irate shop keeper cursing the whole stupid lot of them, The Doctor and Reinette lost sight of each other for a moment and she felt a surge of panic.

"Take me back." She yelled on the verge of tears. "Please, just take me back." In a split second he was back with her, holding her close and comforting her in that sweet way he had. But it didn't help how she was feeling. It felt like an eternity, but they were safely back in the TARDIS in a matter of minutes.

"Maybe we should have waited until it was later." The Doctor said closing the TARDIS door behind him. "There aren't as many people around in the evening. It was too much too soon."

She stood at the top of the ramp and looked sadly at him. "I want to go back."

He shook his head. "Reinette, it was just a bit of culture shock. You'll…"

"Please, be the gentleman I know you are. Don't make me beg."

"No, god, of course not." The Doctor strode up the ramp to her and took her hands. "I don't want you to be unhappy. I'd never do that." He let go of her and went to the controls. "Versailles, 1758 it is."

Reinette dropped her head and began to cry.

"Oh… No, please don't." The Doctor once again went to her and held her tightly. "I'm so sorry. "

"You must think me terribly skittish." She said quietly. "It was just… so much. Are all worlds like that in the future?"

"Not all. Some are even more advanced." He quickly realised that wasn't the brightest thing to say. "Which is not exactly a comfort. It's… It's complicated."

"It seemed like the most wonderful idea when you first offered to take me to the stars." She sighed. "But I now know that there is no place for me in your world. Your friends, Rose and the young man, they have a far more adventurous spirit than I."

"That they do." The Doctor smiled. _Adventurous, jeopardy friendly – same difference, really! _

"I think maybe I am more suited to the slow path, after all." The TARDIS sounded a warning that they were approaching Reinette's timeline. "I should change my clothes." She said, slipping from his embrace.

The Doctor checked that the coast was clear, that there was nobody around to see Reinette slip quietly back to her chambers. When he went back in, she was standing by the main console, back in her finery. "I wish I could bring a keepsake of our time together. But I know that would be impossible."

"I can give you something." The Doctor smiled. "Come here." He placed his hands gently on her face, like he had done when she was 23. "Open the door, step through." This time, he could choose what to show her and he gave her an image of the most beautiful things he had seen in his lives. Her face lit up. "See, it wasn't all lonely."

"Thank you." She kissed him tenderly on the lips and quietly left him to return to her world.

o0o

"You can bring the trolley back!" Rose said to Mickey as they wheeled full shopping trolley up the alley to where the TARDIS had dropped them off.

"Why can't we just leave it?" Mickey scrunched his face. "I always get the dirty work!"

"I'll even let you keep the pound."

"It was mine to begin with!"

The Doctor waited outside the TARDIS for them.

"Hope we didn't keep you too long." Rose grinned. "I couldn't get Mickey away from the CDs." She grabbed a couple of bags and went inside.

"How did it go?" Mickey asked. "Is Reinette inside?"

The Doctor shook his head indicating that she wasn't. "You were right. She knocked me back." It was easier than explaining.

"Aw man." Mickey looked disappointed for him. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah. Thanks." The Doctor helped Mickey with the rest of the bags. "Tell me you bought more beer. I think I'm going to need it."

_Fin_

_So there you have it. My first fic in a long time. Thank you for reading. All reviews gratefully recieved!_

_Idiotgirle_


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